A. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to systems for making telephone calls and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for initiating telephone calls on a telephone network in response to requests from a data network.
B. Description of the Related Art
The Internet, fueled by the phenomenal popularity of the World Wide Web (WWW or Web), has exhibited exponential growth over the past few years. Recent surveys estimate that the number of users exceeds 30 million and that the growth continues.
One reason for this incredible growth is that it is easy for users to access the Internet. They need only standard computer equipment, such as a home personal computer with a display and modem, and an Internet connection. Several types of Internet connections are available, including connections through Internet Service Providers (ISPs). To use an Internet connection from an ISP, for example, the user dials into a computer at the ISP's facility using the modem and a standard telephone line. The ISP's computer in turn provides the user with access to the Internet. Communication on the Internet uses the TCP/IP protocol.
Through this Internet connection, the user accesses information on the Web using a computer program called a "Web browser," such as the Netscape Navigator.TM. from Netscape Communications Corporation. To accomplish this, the user gives the Web browser a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for an object on the Internet, for example, a document containing information of interest. The document is referred to as a "Web page," and the information contained in the Web page is called "content." Web pages often refer to other Web pages using "hypertext link" or "hyperlinks" that include words or phrases representing the other pages in a form that gives the browser a URL for the corresponding Web page when a user selects a hyperlink. Hyperlinks are made possible by building Web pages using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
The URL identifies a specific computer on the Internet, called a "Web Server," and, more particularly, the location of a Web page located on the Web Server. The Web browser retrieves the Web page and displays it for the user.
With such a large number of existing users, and the estimates that the number continues to grow at a high rate, companies are investing significant resources to develop ways of using the Internet to better service old customers and attract new ones. For example, it is not unusual to find information on available products included in a company's Web pages.
Some companies also distribute information through the Internet. This can be done, for example, using email or Web pages. Newsgroups send email on current events to participants, and newspaper publishers, such as The Wall Street Journal, have digital versions of newspapers available on the Web.
When customers have questions concerning products and services marketed on the Web, they contact the company by, for example, sending an email message or calling a toll free telephone number to speak with a company representative. A significant benefit of product marketing on the Web is the speed in which a company can process orders. However, this benefit is lost when companies are unable to respond immediately to questions from potential customers.
Email can contribute to such a delay because traffic on the Internet can prevent email messages from reaching their destinations for as long as several hours or even days. Furthermore, email is not reliable, messages are often dropped or corrupted in transit. Email can also be used for product orders but concerns over the security of sending information like credit card numbers over the Internet have, to date, stifled the growth in this area.
In the case of a toll free call, customers often wait on the line before a company representative is available. There is thus a need for a convenient method whereby customers can obtain fast and reliable service in a manner that eliminates the long wait-time often associated with email and toll free calls.
Although the Internet was originally designed for data transmission, it is now a host for voice transmissions as well. For example, audio interface software like NetPhone from Electric Magic Company enables phone-like connections over the Internet. NetPhone operates by compressing audio and sending it over a TCP/IP connection as digital information. According to Electric Magic, NetPhone interfaces with Netscape, allows multiple active calls, and provides caller ID service. The major advantage of this type of technology is that it permits users to make telephone calls that bypass telephone companies and their charges for calls.
The Internet, however, is designed for data transmission, not voice. Thus, the quality of voice transmission on the Internet is typically not very good.
The ability to communicate easily may be the underlying reason for the Internet's enormous success. But not all communications schemes have enjoyed the same kind of success.
For example, telephone conferencing, where at least three parties in different locations are included in a single telephone conversation, has been available for many years. At first, the telephone company provided conferencing as a service for a fee. In this case, the customer provided the telephone numbers for those to be included in a conference call, and the company connected the conference call. Later, conference calling became a feature of PBX systems, which are typically used by larger organizations with many phones.
Additionally, some people repeatedly make conference calls to the same group. This means that they have to go through the same routine with a telephone company (i.e., specifying the same telephone numbers for the call) each time they wish to make a conference call. Alternatively, companies can provide an added service of storing this information. The typical PBX system does not provide such a storage feature or eliminate the need for the user to dial each telephone number for the group every time he wishes to make a conference call.
Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that it would be more desirable to give the user greater control and flexibility over conference calling.